Late Nights on Nirauan
by Myriaddd
Summary: LM romance from multiple POV, set in the NJO time period. Previously posted, then deleted. Brought back again!


Title: Late Nights on Nirauan

Author:Myriad Daydreams

Timeframe:Beyond the Saga, sometime during the NJO

Characters:Mainly L/M, (althought never from their point of view) along with Jaina and others later on

Genre: Romance, Adventure later (hopefully)

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars!

Late Nights on Nirauan

I cannot sleep.I toss and turn. I try all types of techniques and methods for drifting into peaceful slumber.

I, Jaina Solo, cannot sleep on a small mission to Nirauan.

Well, Kyp says it's not small. He thinks its important and essential for the galaxy, or whatever he's constantly crowing about. I believe Master Skywalker agrees with him. That's a first…

Maybe it is the hard, cold rocks are laying on. Or perhaps it is the increasing dampness that seems to cover our belongings. But I have slept in worse conditions before- much worse. An X-wing pilot compartment, Vong Warships, jagged rock floors. Tons of places a lot dirtier, scarier, and less comfortable than this craggy cave. I just cannot explain my insomnia.

Frustrated, I close my eyes and open myself to the Force, feel it flow around me. I find that I am not the only one sill awake. Aunt Mara and Uncle Luke aren't sleeping either.

I open my eyes and squint to adjust to the darkness. Once my surroundings have slid into focus, I look towards where my aunt and uncle lay. Although in separate sleeping bags, they are stretched out side by side, faces inches from one another.

Amidst the running water I detect a separate sound- they are talking. I strain my ears to catch a glimpse of what they're saying, but to no avail.

But through the Force, I hear the emotion.

It is amazing, the bond that they share. I can feel it, a small part of it, and I know it is much more than I imagine. They seem to always be spiritually linked ot each other. When in time of stress or seemingly impossible situations they reach out for each other.

Uncle Luke and Aunt Mara seem so perfect together, so complete. No doubts or insecurities.I wish I could say the same thing about Jag and me.

I shut my eyes in frustration. With Jag, I never know where I stand. Where we stand. Everything is too complicated to understand. We both live such different lives, different paths. And Force knows about Kyp and me! That is definitely a complex topic I don't even want to think about right now. Just 'go with the flow', as Jacen would say.

I open my eyes again. Mara is talking now. She is a beautiful woman, inside and out. No matter what she says about being the former Emperor's Hand, or her weapons and fighting knowledge, or dark sense of humor, I think she is the most kind and selfless person I have ever known.

I love the way her long red hair glitters in the sunlight, and how her thin lips tuck into a smirk when Master Skywalker comments on her lightsaber techniques. I admire her selfless devotion to the mission at hand, and her brilliance and charm that Uncle Luke loves so.

A small jab of sorrow cuts through the Force like a dagger, interrupting my thoughts.I glance up again, and my throat closes with emotion as I watch Aunt Mara lift her hand and gently stroke Uncle Luke's cheek. She whispers something softly to him, her green eyes filled with compassion. He closes his hand on hers and gazes back at her.

I feel a deep sense of calm and I'm not sure if it's their emotions or mine.Luke wraps his arm around his wife's shoulders and bends to kiss her. She winds her arm tightly around his neck and leans deeply into the kiss.It strings a chord far inside my heart. My aunt's affection for my uncle comes out in the privacy of close friends and family, but never this personal or passionate. A gentle wave of emotions washes gently over me and tears well up in my eyes.

But… respect for Luke and Mara overcomes my curiosity and fascination so I close my eyes and attempt to stop reading their thoughts.

Several minutes later I take a peek. They are no longer embracing one another, and their eyes are closed in peaceful slumber. Yet their hands are still clasped together.

I smile to myself and, once again, stare admiringly at my Aunt. Now that she is asleep, with the muscles in her face relaxed, all signs of stress and anxiety erased, she looks so much younger. Now, with her disease constantly robbing her of her energy, peaceful times like this are rare.

Suddenly, I find myself staring into a pair of vivid emerald eyes, and they are staring back.

I snap my eyes shut, horribly embarrassed at being caught eavesdropping on Mara. Then I stop. This is foolish. She already saw me.

Tentatively, I look again. But she is merely smiling at me, eyes sparkling with amusement. I have no idea what to do.She glances at Luke's sleeping form, and then back at me- she knows I have been watching everything.

Mara winks at me. I smile in reply, knowing that everything is fine.


End file.
